My Cards and Tags: Happy Haunting

Even though I swear it was like 80 degrees today, I'm trying hard to get into the spirit of Fall!  What better way than to throw on some killer knee-high boots and whip out the Halloween stamps?  I did just that (well, until the boots got too hot) and here's what resulted:

The text paper is from Prima's Epiphany collection.  The black "goo" dripping down is black Gesso mixed with a bit of water which I drizzled down the paper.  I smeared on some Tim Holtz Distress Ink to the background (Peacock Feathers and Squeezed Lemonade).  The silhouette stamp is from 100 Proof Press and is called, "Pumpkin Parade."  I heat embossed it in black to make it really stand out.  The background paper is from Kasier's Kaleidoscope collection and I added another 100 Proof Press stamp to it called, "Honeycomb Texture."  The letter stickers (black with white letters) are Tim Holtz label stickers and the "haunting" is spelled with Tim Holtz Alpha-parts.

It may be too hot around here to don a sweater, but I can still get into Halloween mode in my craft room! 

My Cards and Tags: Hello You

This week's theme over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog is, "Falling in Love With...."  There are two new products that I have indeed fallen in love with: Tim Holtz's Alphanumeric Die Set and the "Nest" paper collection by Webster's Pages.  I used them both to make this card:

This was my first attempt at using the Alphanumeric die set, so here is some info I learned about it.  First off, the set comes as several individual alphabet letters so you can spell anything you want (there are multiples of each letter).  You have to think about how to arrange the letters according to which side of your patterned paper you'll be using.  Because I had to cut a certain side of this polka dot library pocket, I had to spell the words backwards on my Sizzix plate.

I tried using my magnetic plate to lay these out on, but to be honest, the magnetic plate did not work well with these (or maybe I'm just magnetic-plate-challenged).  The magnetic polarity made the letters sproing away from each other, so they were skittering all over the place.  I found my good old plastic plates the be the easiest to use.  I didn't line the letters up exactly, but it still turned out okay.  I added some green paper behind the cut-out letters to make them stand out better.  The great part is that you can use the cut-out negative letters or you can pop the cut letters out of these dies and use them as normal die cut letters, too.

I added a cute birdie card from Webster's Pages "Nest" collection, which I absolutely adore, and added some embellishments with Tim Holtz's Frameworks Trellis die.  I arranged it onto a patterned paper background and wah-la!

Here are some of the fabulous products I used, which you can find at Simon Says Stamp:

Fancy Pants Be Different Library Cards	Fancy Pants Me-Ology 6x6 Paper	Tim Holtz Alphanumeric Thinlits Dies	Sizzix Big Shot Machine	Webster′s Pages Nest Collection, 12x12 Paper Pad	Tim Holtz Mini Collage Paper Stash 8x8	Simon Stencil - MOROCCAN
Tim Holtz Trellis Frameworks Die	Prima Lyric Collection Mini Roses	Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements Fabric - Documents	Peacock Feathers - Distress Ink	Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink Pad	Timber Brown StazOn	MINI ROUND INK BLENDING TOOLS
Distress Ink Tumbled Glass	Colorbox Rain Forest Ink

 
So what are you "Falling in love with"?  Fall itself?  Some new product?  Let us know by uploading your masterpiece to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and you could win a $50 gift voucher to Simon Says Stamp.

My Cards and Tags: "Feeling Brilliant" Notions Tag

Hello loyal readers!  I just wanted to share a notions tag that I made that includes some faux buttons.  The fabulous button card stamp I used is called Mode De Paris Buttons and is from 100 Proof Press.  Here's how the tag turned out, followed by a step-by-step of how I made my faux buttons.

 

I started by stamping the button card image (using Ranger Jet Black Archival ink) onto a neutral-ish piece of paper from Kaiser's Kaleidoscope collection.  I folded it and tore it a bit and inked it up with Distress Ink (Walnut Stain and Black Soot).  I also stamped on some background text using 100 Proof Press's Profit and Loss stamp.  I smudged on some Peacock Feathers Distress ink because I seem to be humanly incapable of NOT smudging that gorgeous ink on everything!

 

Next I gathered up some paper scraps and stamped the buttons onto them.

 

I punched out the buttons using a circle punch from Recollections (available at Michaels) that was the perfect size: 5/8".

 

I added a smidge of various colors of Distress Ink to each button, then stuck each one to a 3D pop dot for some dimension. I folded down the circular edges of the button around the pop dot, then attached them to the button card.

 

To make the buttons look more button-y (totally not a word), I covered each one with a drop or two of Glossy Accents and let them dry overnight.

 

All that was left to do was to figure out a background for my button card.  I grabbed my Tim Holtz/Sizzix Framelits Tag die set and some patterned paper from My Mind's Eye and cut out a tag with my Big Shot.  I glued fabric scraps to the background, added my button card and a piece of vintage tape measure to the bottom.

 

I finished it off by adding some stick pins (Maya Road and Darice) and the sentiment.  I used alphabet stamps for the "feeling" word and the "Brilliant" stamp is another great one from 100 Proof Press.  I tore up some fabric strips for the tag's ties at the top and it was done!  I quite enjoyed this project and felt just a bit brilliant myself when my husband said (and I quote) that it was "cool."

My Cards and Tags: Thanks

Apparently I have another addiction besides Ferrero Rocher chocolates.  I knew about the Ferrero Rocher problem, but I didn't know I was addicted to polka dots until a friend perused my blog and said, "Wow.  You really like polka dots, huh."  It was one of those statements that could be taken either way (kind of like when someone says to you, "That's a really bright dress," or "That's a really short haircut,"), but I'm choosing to take it as a compliment and embrace the fact that I'm a polka-dot-aholic.

So when this week's theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog was "finishing touch stamping," I knew that polka dots would fill the bill since I always seem to end up stamping them on my projects somewhere.  Here's a Thank You card which I finished with polka dots:

This card was pretty easy to make because I took advantage of some fabulous patterned paper from Prima (their new Cigar Box Secrets line).  I then cut out a snowflake panel using Memory Box's Mod Snowflake background die.  I cut the snowflake circle shapes apart and adhered them to the edges of my card.

I dabbed on various Distress and Colorbox inks to color my circles and my background a bit, then I added my polka dots!  Lest you think I'm totally predictable, these polka dots were added with a polka dot brayer this time, which was a cool new tool I hadn't tried before.  I rolled it across my ink pad, then rolled it across my paper.  The tool comes with two rollers: one with polka dots and one with stripes and it was a lot of fun to use.

I added a "thanks" made by a Simon Says Stamp die, inked around the edges with brown and black ink and called it a day.

Here are the supplies I used, available at Simon Says Stamp:

Prima Cigar Box Secrets A4 Paper Pad	Prima A4 Sunrise-Sunset Paper	American Crafts Large Patterned Brayer Set	Memory Box Mod Snowflake Background Die	Peacock Feathers - Distress Ink	Squeezed Lemonade - Distress Ink	Colorbox Rain Forest Ink
Timber Brown StazOn	Archival Ink - Jet Black	Simon Says Stamp Thanks on a Line die

So what is one of your favorite "finishing" techniques for stamping?  Can't wait to see what you share on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog.  Upload your creation for a chance to win $50 to the Simon Says Stamp store.  That could buy a lot of polka dots!

My Other Creations: Color Book

STAMPtember continues and this week's stamp-tastic theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog is Stamp and Stencil Fun.  I used plenty of both to create my inspirational Color Book (with a fully functional rotating color wheel on the cover).

I wanted to make a book that celebrated color and that focused on a different color for each page.  I also wanted to have a visual reference for some of the different Tim Holtz Distress inks, stains and paints.  So I made each page represent one Distress color, which is named on the tab at the top.  I typed the Distress color names on my computer, printed them, cut them out, then inked them with the corresponding color.

I went to the hardware store and tried to non-conspicuously grab every paint swatch possible.  I picked paint swatches that roughly matched the Distress colors.  I got long skinny swatches to act as my top tabs/page dividers.  I glued the color label to the top.

Next I got bigger swatches for the pages.  I got out my Distress paints and dabbed two or three colors of paint onto each paint swatch, then blended the paint together with my finger.  Then I spritzed them with a generous amount of water and rotated the paint swatches so the paint would swirl and drip.  I let them dry overnight.

With my backgrounds finished in a variety of different color palettes, I added some stenciling using the same main color that I'd painted with.  This blue page is made with Salty Ocean paint and ink.

Next I added some stamping:

I paper-clipped my Salty Ocean tab to the back of the page and it was done!  Now I have a quick visual of Salty Ocean, some coordinating color possibilities and a background pattern idea for another project.

Here's another example page, this one for Ripe Persimmon:

To finish off the book, I tied several strands of various yarns and ribbon to the side.  It's so fun to flip through for inspiration and to remind myself of all the gorgeous colors in the world.

Just one note of caution when working with these paint swatches.  I discovered that their shiny, plastic-like surface makes them NOT idea for certain brands of spray inks (Dylusions) and Distress stains.  I was going to include them on my pages, but when I sprayed on some Dylusions, it beaded up all weird and wouldn't ever dry.  The Distress stain did dry eventually, but it still beaded oddly and didn't cover smoothly.  But the Distress paints worked great on these surfaces!

I used about every color of Distress paint, stain and ink on this project, so I won't list them all or it would be a two-foot section of supplies.  But here are some of the other main supplies I used for this project that you can get at Simon Says Stamp:

Prima Epiphany Paper A4	Fancy Pants Me-Ology Paper 12x12	Memory Box Rings and Puddles Stencil	Tim Holtz Latticework Stencil	Simon Says Stamp Extra Large Dots Stencil	The Crafter′s Workshop Mini Quatrefoil Reversed Stencil	Sizzix Alterations Picture Wheel Die
Sizzix BIG SHOT MACHINE	Prima Coffee Break Cling Stamp Set	Graphic 45 Typography Stamp Set	American Crafts Document Alphabet Stamps	Simon Says Clear Stamps SCRIBBLE FLOWERS	Paper Artsy Ephemera 4 Stamp Set	Tim Holtz Idea-ology COMPOSITION Worn Cover
Tim Holtz Binder Punch	Tim Holtz Large Ring Binders	Ranger Non Stick Craft Sheet

I can't wait to see what you create with stencils and stamps this week!  Don't forget to upload your clever creations to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $50 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store.